Trading in your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 for an iPhone 7? Here's how to make the switch!
Following a recall of the original Galaxy Note 7, reports have now surfaced of several replacement Galaxy Notes 7 catching fire. It's reached the point where our sibling site, Android Central, can no longer recommend anyone buy the Galaxy Note 7, or keep a Galaxy Note 7 they've already bought.
It's the worst possible situation for any manufacturer, and every manufacturer should take it as a cautionary tale, redoubling even the best of their quality control methods. Customers, though, need an alternative.
For Note lovers, perhaps sticking with a Note 5 is the answer. For Samsung die-hards, if they can live without the S-Pen, maybe a Galaxy S7. For Android aficionados, the Google Pixel might be arriving just in time.
For people who simply want an amazing phone, though, and are looking to make a change, there's also Apple's iPhone 7 Plus. It's brand new, it's water resistant, it's got great battery life, it's got a cutting-edge camera, and it has Apple, AppleCare+, and Apple Stores standing behind it.
iPhone 7 buyers guide
Once you've made up your mind to switch to iPhone, you might still be wondering which iPhone exactly you should switch to. iPhone 7 Plus is closest in size to Galaxy Note 7, but there two sizes, three capacities, and five colors to choose from. If you're having trouble deciding, here's what you need to know!
- Should you upgrade to iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus?
- What color iPhone should you get: Silver, gold, rose gold, black, or jet black?
- What iPhone storage size should you get: 32 GB vs. 128 GB vs. 256 GB?
- Should you get AppleCare+ or insurance for your iPhone?
Once you know what you're getting, you can head on over to Apple or your local big box or carrier store to place your order.
How to transfer your data from Android to iPhone
iPhone works great with all Google services right out of the box. You can sign into your Google account at the system level, and download almost all of Google's major apps right from the App Store. That means you can pretty much get up and running, and keep going right from where you left off, incredibly quickly and easily.
Apple also makes the Move to iOS app, to help you transfer over any other data you might have.
- How to move your photos, contacts, and more from Android to iPhone
- How to get all your Google apps on iPhone
iPhone 7 user guide
If you haven't used iOS in a while, or ever at all, it's really easy to pick up. If you want to get going even faster, though, we have everything you need to know.
Any questions?
If you're still weighing your options, make sure you check out our iPhone forums or ask in the comments below. No matter what replacement phone you ultimately decide on, I hope you love it!
Reader comments
How to switch from Galaxy Note 7 to iPhone 7
IPhone works great with all google apps except gmail. The native apple client can't do push and you may not like using the gmail app. I switched to outlook and have my gmail forwarded. Makes for a much better experience.
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Lesson learnt: The tail cannot wag the dog.
Or like how to switch to any other phone. I'd swear this is a paid advertisement from Apple. Yeah good job writing this up. As if no other android devices exist.
This is an Apple-related website, they're not going to talk about switching to another Android device are they? You'll want Android Central for that
Plenty of coverage on that over at Android Central. If you're considering the switch to iPhone 7, this is the place to be.
That does not always mean no one will keep their replacement Note 7's if they have them already..
After all u buy a phone, the last thing u want to do is give it back.
I don't know, when it has the possibility of setting your house on fire I think I'd probably give it back
I don't see too many Note 7 users making the switch to iOS. Note users are typically Android die-hards. I could definitely see them moving over to an LG V20, or a Pixel XL. While the Note-gate will certainly boost sales for other manufacturers, including Apple, most of the Notes will be replaced with other Android devices.
That's true, even if they aren't Android die-hards they will still want to stay with Android because it's what they're used to. But iMore aren't going to put up an article saying "How to switch from Galaxy Note 7 to another Android device", you'll want Android Central for that.
Maybe Crackberry would put up an article about switching over to Blackberry, if Blackberry still made phones…
Sent my note back a few weeks ago and got a IP7+ 256GB. I love tech so OS has no relevance to me.
I've never owned a iPhone, so this was the time to give it a real shot. I still have a Android and Windows phone to play with whenever I want, but for now the iPhone is my DD and so far I have not missed Android.
Oh and I also picked up the watch and having a Samsung and Android watch the Apple watch blows them both out of the water. I was very shocked, because I loved my Gear S. Like I said I love tech.
why would someone switch from android to an iPhone 7? way more choice in the android camp. just stay away from the iPhone 7. the screen and size is just trash.
however really disappointed this year. two high end phones that i like are not worse buying. iPhone 7 plus is not worse the upgrade and the note 7 blows up. so what is the best phone now?
Well of course there's more choice on Android. Android runs on devices by many different manufacturers, iOS runs only on the iPhone. That's like saying to buy a Windows laptop because there's more variety of laptops rather than buying a Macbook.
Apart from the screen (which isn't trash it just hasn't been upgraded much) you haven't really mentioned what makes the iPhone 7 so bad? It's got plenty of upgrades over the last iPhone
Ok what about fast charging? Better screen? Better siri? File system? Smart lock?
Apple is all about marketing and making money.
And other phone companies aren't? Do you think Samsung has their customers as their top priority and marketing/making money come afterwards? Nope.
I'm not sure how fast "fast charging" is, but if you do want faster charging you can use an iPad cable with your iPhone.
Yeah, the screen was a bit of a let down, the only thing that didn't really receive an upgrade apart from better brightness/contrast, it would've been nice to see a screen resolution bump at least.
Siri has improved on iOS 10, it may not be at the same level as Google Now but I've found areas of Siri that do work better than Google Now, but you have the option of using Google Now on the iPhone if you install the Google app.
File system access seems to be something Apple doesn't want to include on iOS. I don't see how this helps marketing/making money, nor am I fully sure why Apple doesn't allow it, but if you buy an iOS device you have to be aware of this. I use Dropbox with my iPhone for getting a file-system experience, obviously requires internet but I have that pretty much everywhere I go since I have mobile data, and most apps let you save/open files from Dropbox.
I've no idea what a Smart Lock is, but I think the fingerprint reader which came with the iPhone 5S is probably the best way to unlock a phone. Not sure what else to add to that really, but I'm not fully sure what you mean by Smart Lock.
Hey there so smart lock is when a device is connected to a Bluetooth (car speaker or watch) there is no touch id required. Which helps inside the car a lot. Same with the WiFi network at home.
I like Google now and apple will change soon to compete with Google.
That's just what I did Sunday. I walked into my nearest TMO and handed back the replacement Note7; now a couple weeks wait for the 7 Plus Black 256GB. When I left iPhone 3 years ago, I kept my iPad and kept a hand in iOS. I had become disenchanted with "small" screens and wanted a large phone display. While on Android, I have had: LG G2, HTC One M8, Samsung Note4, Sammy GS6, Nexus 6, LG V10, Sammy GS7Edge, and everyone's favorite IED the Note7 - twice. I look forward to daily driving an iPhone again, for the better memory management, better apps, timely OS updates, timely security updates, and no carrier bloatware.
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Switching from the Note 7 to an iPhone 7 is a huge downgrade, no beautiful Super AMOLED display, crappy water resistance, a poor LCD IPS display at a whopping 750p, worse battery life overpriced and worse camera. As a current iPhone 6s Plus user who will be switching to a S7 Edge because I'm tired of all the hyperbole that comes with Apple who just release thd same thing over and over with minor upgrades, I just want a truly great phone and all 3 of Samsung's phones this year are simply thd best smartphones you can buy, there's no debate.
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Enjoy your GS7Edge, it's a great device and what I'm using until my 7 Plus arrives. The Edge isn't as nice as my dearly departed Note7 because its in hand feel and feature set isn't as good. The 7Edge is better in hand than the 6Edge but that's still not saying much. The Edge without case is sharp edged and slick, with a case it still feels odd because the case makers have to protect that edge and their solutions aren't great.
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Fair enough about the display, they should've upgraded that on the iPhone 7.
The "crappy" water resistance is more than enough for most people, most people aren't trying to use their phone in a swimming pool, I've managed fine with iPhones without any water resistance, plus when was "water resistance" something that made a phone good or bad? It's more of an extra feature
The display (which you've already mentioned but feel free to mention it twice), isn't a poor display, like I said, it could've been upgraded but the current screen is still a great quality screen.
They hardly release the same phone over and over again, excluding the screen this phone has many improvements over the last iPhone, but you're just focusing on the negatives…
The iPhone 7 Plus is not available anywhere at the moment. So the only way to switch is if you have a spare phone in the meantime. I did switch, but to the iPhone 6S Plus 128GB. Will see if iOS 10 with 3D touch makes up for the loss of productivity in switching to an iPhone. So far the widgets on the phone, iMessage etc ar promising.
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I'm all about productivity on my phone, I didn't find any things which hugely decreased my productivity when switching from Android to iOS, though that may depend on how you use the device. I've not really done any serious work on my phone aside from writing emails and making notes. Before the iPhone had widgets then you could say that it would decrease productivity, although at that time I usually just quickly switched through apps using the multi-task app switcher. But yeah, now if I need to see multiple things at a glance I just look at the widgets that are now there. I've not tried 3D touch yet but I'm really looking forward to trying it, I can see it boosting productivity a lot
I made the switch and had been considering an iPhone for months now. I'm actually enjoying what I've come to learn and quite honestly, this is a much better device overall. Didn't know what I had been missing all these years but I'm in there now! #TeamiPhone
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Funny I'm going in thd opposite direction to Android and to Samsung wiyh an S7 Edge, I can no longer support a company that's no interested in listening to its customers which Samsung does and with Samsung and As Android being so far ahead of the iPhone it's embarrassing, even more so that they are using 750p in 2016, only the most 1 eyed of Apple fans can deny that Samsung simply has thd best hardware on a smartphone phone and thd better design now.
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Wow, what a way to sound like an Android/Samsung fanboy, and you can't even spell.
"only the most 1 eyed of Apple fans can deny that Samsung simply has thd best hardware on a smartphone phone and thd better design now."
Android phones do sometimes have better hardware than the iPhone, but it tends to be more the software that matters in relation to speed and smoothness, which Android has always been behind on. You need better specs in an Android device due to poor memory management and other things that aren't very optimized in Android.
I don't get what you mean by Apple aren't listening to their customers. Yeah I think they could've added a better screen, but the rest of the device has got upgrades, which is what I think people wanted and expected. Android and iOS are very different OS's, I don't see how Android/Samsung are so "far ahead" of the iPhone, they're both doing great. As for better design, that's subjective, I prefer the iPhone design to Samsung's
You should probably look at tolani's past posts to realizability that only a short time ago he was the ultimate Apple fan. Instead though Dannyjjk you chose to just be a d I c k
I gave valid points in response to his comment. But stating "Samsung simply has thd best hardware on a smartphone phone and thd better design now" makes him look like a "d l c k"
No, do not agree. I have owned over 20 android phone and had a Iphone 3GS and then not another till iphone 6plus and then 6Splus and now 7plus.
I still have a S7 active and Nexus 6P. At one time not long ago I owned 3 android phones, all on different versions of android. I still swap my SIM sometimes but my iphone 7plus is a great piece of hardware and iOS 10 works great and is my go to device right now. I have owned many Notes, in fact imported my first before it was available in the US when att was still on their HSPA+ network. I just stopped using the spen.
One last thing is that all of my 10 to 12 google apps I use regularly, they are all available on iphone and works very well on iOS.
If you want or need android that is fine but to say it is so superior to iPhone in hardware or software is just not true.
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+1
Guess that depends if you are just a Facebook and Imessage user. Then iphone is perfect.
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What a condescending little shi.t you are. You just automatically assume this guy only uses Facebook and iMessage because that's apparently the only way he can get joy out of an iPhone. I'm pretty sure he does as much on his phone as you do with your Android phone, and the iPhone and Android phones are both great for doing all those things
Great article Rene. Your new style is noted and appreciated.
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I stopped by the local t-mo to see when the 7plus would be in stock. Really looking forward to selling this Nexus 6P. I toy around with the OS way too much and it comes back to bite me all the time with lag and force closes. Meanwhile, my iPad keeps running along quietly without issues. Time to make my phone behave the same way. Just wish I could do it today instead of Mid November.
Ah, Samy blew this one, and somehow continues to make the situation even worse,. The Note 7 hardware is beautiful, puts the iPhone 7 to shame.. This is coming from an entrenched iPhone user. But the complete integrated complete package matters, including the statistical rate of burning up. RIP Note 7. On the downside, Samsung just gave Apple a total free pass this round. That's not good for any consumer, regardless of phone OS/hardware persuasion.
I always look at my options but the iPhone 7 plus just does not have the features I'm already so use to. I use wireless charging a lot. I use Samsung pay everywhere cause it has MST/NFC. I have a lot of media stored on my SD cards. The camera and displays are better on the N7 also. The night clock and always on display is also a great useful feature. Even like to use the iris scanner when my hands are wet or wearing gloves. Yes the iPhone is good for apps and updates but that's about it. It would be a huge step backwards. To pay so much for so little would annoy the **** out of me.
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I agree!!! I had a iPhone for years. I got tired of every year seeing the same thing with a upgraded camera. I have a s7 edge and I'm happy. I will wait for the s8
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Yeah I think the S7 edge is the closest alternative to the N7. The S8 will be my next device for sure.
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Maybe Apple not releasing the newest technology is the key? When you're the first to release so many new things, your customers expect you to stay that way. Eventually you simply lose the time to thoroughly test these technologies. Yes Apple is typically slow to release stuff that Samsung has done. But this note 7 mess may influence Samsung to slow it down a bit. I can't say that I had ANY problems with my iPhone 6 Plus or my current 6s plus. Apple tends to take their time and test test test. That shows with their reliability IMHO
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My wife absolutely loves her Note 7 and S Pen. She's did things with it i'd never do using Samsung Notes App and drawing and coloring. She literally never put it down till I forced her to. It's sad it's come to this. She had an S5 we sold to a family member and I can't put my wife on last years phone. I'll probably get the new pixel phone for her. My Google Home is ordered and can't wait for it. It's crazy that some many phones are sold and this is the first massive phone battery issues I can think of yet cheap made phones are sold everywhere yet no reports. Makes me wonder if Samsung is just so high profile and sells so many phones that the same unsafe % do fail on cheap phones just no one hears about them.
Now Phone Arena got articles about some iPhones catching fire. A 6s and 7 too. These lithium batteries seem to be dangerous.
There will always be a very few phones of every type that have incidents – LiOn batteries don't take abuse well.
That said, making false equivalencies — not that that's what you're doing, but in case anyone misreads — is incredibly dangerous.
Galaxy Note 7 is unique in having so many catastrophic failures that the initial version was recalled and the replacement versions are now being removed from cycle.
No other phone, not from Samsung or any manufacturer, has anywhere near this problem.
If you have a Galaxy Note 7, replace it with something else as fast as you possibly can. Even another Samsung phone like the GS7 if that's what you prefer. Just don't keep the Note7.
If you choose to replace it with an iPhone 7, see the article above.
Any word from Apple on recent iPhone explosions?
http://bgr.com/2016/10/10/iphone-6-plus-explosions/
"Several iPhones have exploded in recent weeks as well though, including an iPhone 7, an iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 6 Plus."
If these are real (and not people purposely destroying their phones to stop Samsung looking bad) it will be a very, VERY trivial number of phones compared to the Note 7. There's no comparison really
Nice way to blame the victim, Dannyjjk.
What Rene fails to mention is that any lithium ion phone can and does become volatile enough to catch fire or explode under the proper conditions. Note 7 was truly different in that there was clearly a design flaw that needs to be identified and corrected.
What Rene should be telling readers is that to be safe always use oem cables and charging bricks. Also be mindful of the environment. Leaving your phone in a car cradle for too long can result in the phone temperature rising very quickly in a warm sun. Always avoid any processes or usage that causes the phone to heat up.
I never blamed the victim, I was stating that "mnc76" was trying to compare Samsung Note 7 explosion rates to iPhone 6 explosion rates, whereas there's no comparison. It's happening to many, many Note 7's, but it's incredibly rare that people have experience this with the iPhone.
And yes, under the proper conditions it can happen with any phone. This is also another place where you can't compare the Note 7 with the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 battery will explode under the proper conditions for it to happen, whereas the Note 7's have been exploding just on charging or having the phone on in normal conditions.
And yeah, Rene should be telling people that, it's a very good point. By the way, you don't need to use OEM cables, just Apple certified ones (cables by other brands tend to be stronger than Apple's)
Poor Samsung. They may just need to end this years Note line and focus on next year.
I agree with this. Maybe what they will end up doing is figuring out what in the heck is wrong with it, and when they release their new Galaxy S lineup, the Note will be re-released along side it.
Posted with the Nexus 6, Nexus 5, or Surface Pro 3
Hmm. Between Samsung deciding that the problem was the battery, and going into production using a replacement battery, there simply wasn't time to properly test the overall reliability of the system with the replacement. They were in too much of a hurry.
What can you expect. You take your chances, you don't deserve sympathy.
The Note 7 replacement I received was quite possibly the best phone I've ever used but after this debacle there's no way I could hold onto it. I already have a Samsung Galaxy S7 Active to give me my android fix so in place of the Note 7 I went to T-Mobile and requested an iPhone 7. I did not take the iPhone 7 Plus because it is just a tad too big (the Note 7 pushed the limits for me) and the iPhone 7 gives me what I need, a reliable phone I can travel with.
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Glad to hear you're settled in with the iPhone 7!